Why Liberals are just better for humanity than Conservatives, Libertarians, and Republicans

Why Liberals are just better for humanity than Conservatives, Libertarians, and Republicans

In a summarized form, dinner party or debate ready arguments for why Liberals, and the Democrat Party is better for the well-being of people and humanity. Why Republicans, by and large are bad people, and Libertarians are delusional, misinformed, ignorant, or profoundly selfish and misanthropic.

Keeping scores of books, thousands of articles, and countless arguments, debates, and bits of information organized and ready can be overwhelming at times. When a conversation or debate breaks upon the shore, there are countless ways in which it can begin. Having too much information can sometimes be just as bad as not having enough. It’s too much to remember, and you can’t get to it fast enough. This is certainly not a comprehensive list or article, but it should be enough to get through most pragmatic situations.

A good message to give to Repubicans after the 2016 election: “Seriously, at this point, if you are still defending Republicans, Conservatism, Trump, etc comprehensively without any sort of disclaimer or qualification, you are straight up my enemy and I want nothing to do with you except to see your influence and privilege wrested from you so that you can’t hurt anyone else.”

Misc

How many Liberals you think deny Evolution? How you Conservatives do you think do the same? There is still, somehow, a debate in politics and education over this. Who do you think is holding up the progress and denying the Science?

Trumps appointment to Department of Energy, from a Nobel Prize winning scientist to an idiot who got shitty grades and knows nothing of energy.

Trumps cabinet.

Trump ripping Climate Change funding from NASA.

Healthcare

Republicans and especially Libertarians are not concerned with the public good, or human well-being. Building wealth by those at the top in the name of “freedom” is all that matters. If most people suffer, somehow, it is their own fault. For Libertarians, only the verdict of the market matters, and human health and suffering is secondary. The entire point of any system of organization, be it economic, political, or social, is to enhance well-being, improve quality of life, and make people better off. Libertarians see profit, created only by those who run the businesses as the only verdict to well-being. Republicans add a new dimension to this, seeing the suffering of those who cannot afford Health Insurance or do not have it adequately provided by their employer as the just punishment for laziness and sloth. This assumes another premise that isn’t true in reality, that markets are perfect, devoid of failures, and reward work with wealth, that wealth is only made by providing value, and market failure doesn’t exist.

When it comes to health insurance, what is best for corporations is unavoidably contrary to the public interest, insofar as the public interest consists of ensuring that the maximum number of citizens have access to good and affordable healthcare.

Private insurers maximize profits by raising premiums as high as possible while keeping payouts as low as possible, which means, among other things, denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions (which has recently become illegal, thanks to “Obamacare”), or finding reasons to refuse to pay for expensive medicines and procedures. This isn’t because they’re evil – it’s because for-profit enterprises have an obligation to maximize profits, regardless of whether the individuals who work for those corporations would prefer to be more benevolent. In other words, what’s in the best interests of health insurance companies is not in the best interest of society.

Republicans and Libertarians don’t care if people are insured, or healthy or sick. They only care if companies, and the CEOs that run them, make the most money possible. Liberals care about the main point of all of this, that people have the insurance they need, are taken care of, and recieve the healthcare they need. They care about the health of the people, instead of only the profits of the rich.

Climate Change

Republicans, caring only again about the profit of the rich, have an ideological bias to reject the incontrovertible evidence concerning climate change. Acknowledging the fact of Climate Change means that large companies that are polluting are not the best possible thing for the economy and the world. In a faith based religion such as market fundamentalism, which is their belief, anything against this must go so that this delusion can be maintained. Regulation or intervention in an attempt to reduce pollution and environmental damage could hurt the profit of those at the top, and this cannot happen under any circumstances. Thus, they reject any evidence for climate change to rescue the proposition that companies earning profit can only do good for everyone, and that the richer the rich get, the better world it is. Libertarians, deluded into thinking absolute freedom and its pursuit is the only true good and everything else will follow, cannot accept that freedom can lead to collectively bad outcomes. So they reject the evidence of climate change. Once again, the well being of people, our health, our happiness, and our life – the very things that we are living for – do not enter into the equation at all.

Liberals care about the endgame. That the environment is sustainable, healthy, and undamaged. We care about that which makes people better off. Lower pollution, cleaner air, cleaner water, and better health of as many people as possible is the goal, and the organization of the economy and its institutions should be to that end. Thus, people would live better lives under the ideals of Liberals, who accept truth, evidence supporting Climate Change and the possible solutions to it. Republicans and Libertarians, caring only about either profit for the rich, or some delusion of “freedom” which really isn’t freedom at all, are unwilling to accept the consequences, caring only about the procedure.

Welfare and Public assistance.

The difference between those in need is one of the starkest differences between the two ideologies. Republicans foster a culture of cruelty and hate toward the poor. The rhetoric is almost always that the poor are lazy, unwilling to work, and deserving of suffering due to their own lack of ambition and work ethic. Democrats understand that the economy is far from perfect, that everyone’s life is different, and that human beings either make mistakes or find themselves in trouble sometimes through no fault of their own. Democrats do not think everyone should get a free ride, but that sometimes people require a little temporary help to avoid the worst effects of capitalism. We all benefit from lower crime, lower levels of child malnourishment, and cleaner cities. Sometimes people really can’t find employment after losing a job, and sometimes they really couldn’t have saved up enough money to last months or years without a job due to medical expenses, high cost of living, or children. Republicans however, find almost no problems with far more money going to corporate welfare because it winds up in the hands of the rich, who according to the faith of market fundamentalism, are better people who deserve even more free money. With Liberals, you get a free market, yet the cruelest, most terrible aspects of Capitalism are tempered. A Social Safety net that ensures at least most people are fed, housed, and received medical care at least. With Republicans, you get a vicous world of the wealthiest and most powerful running rampant, no recourse from the cruelest aspects of a market system. Ideologies include less mandated vacation, parental child leave after having a baby, and less recourse for termination. A life more beholden to the power of the owners of capital. Liberal ideologies involve a far more empathetic and humane treatment of people in an economy. Republicans believe the economy is only to create as much profit as possible for those at the top. Liberals and Democrats believe that it is to foster as good of a world as possible for all people.

Minimum Wage

Republicans believe if you aren’t able to make enough to become wealthy, this is a reflection of your self-worth and you deserve whatever hardship that befalls you. Democrats believe those who work an honest job deserve at least a minimally livable wage. Minimum wage laws have not been shown to create unemployment like the Conservative myths say. They allow parents to better support their children, spend more time with their families (Not having to work 2-3 jobs just to eat) and allow them to put more money back into the economy, stimulating demand.

Just Deserts Theory and Meritocracy

Conservatives believe a person’s self-worth is determined by the amount of money they have. This is a direct measurement of how much “value” they have provided to society. Liberals understand that many times, wealth is inherited, made through deception, extractive instead of productive models (overdraft fees and tow bills instead of providing real value)

A Conservative will say “It’s your own fault.” But if they have to justify it this way, clearly they didn’t’ really provide value, but are attempting to backwards rationalize extracting money from someone who didn’t’ really want the transaction to take place. Democrats believe money is made through providing real value.

Voter Rights

Conservatives, seeing a person’s self-worth as defined only by the amount of money they have would rather protect corporations’ right to buy elections instead of protecting Americans fundamental right to vote. By passing voter ID laws, which disproportionately affect lower income voters and minorities, they make it harder for these people to exercise their constitutional right to vote. It is a “solution” to a nonexistent “problem,” as in-person voter fraud has been virtually nonexistant in actual practice. Meanwhile, Citizens United declared corporations are “people” and that buying elections is a form of “free speech” ostensibly giving those with greater purchasing power the right to buy elections. Limitless campaign financing from mega corporations for candidates that protect only the self-interests of the very top tilts the game heavily in favor of money and influence, instead of actual democracy. Republicans, of course have no problem with this. Democrats understand that corporations shoveling money toward the candidates with the interests of the wealthy, and those already in power, is not in the best interests of most people. But Republicans do not care about most people, only the rich.

Job Creation and funding for the future

Democrats and Liberals understand that funding basic research in the sciences, investment in public infrastructure, education and job training is a broad pathway to prosperity for tens of millions of people and helps everyone.

Republicans believe the only way to help everyone is to ensure the rich get even richer. Massive tax cuts for the wealthy, and commensurate cutting of funding to programs that help millions of middle class and low wage citizens are just about their only plan for job growth. Then, through their magnificent grace, we might all get the opportunity to be their servants. Demand side vs Supply Side, empowerment for the middle class vs empowerment of only those at the top.

Notice the overarching theme running through each of these positions. Republicans deem money as a certificate for value provided. If you have more of it, you’ve made the world a better place and deserve even more reward. If you are struggling, it is only as a result of moral failing, sloth, and unwillingness to make the world a better place. The millions of service workers, teachers, police and fireman, laborers, truck drivers, elderly, students, factory workers, and countless other middle-class citizens struggling to support their families on a middle-class wage have all made “Poor choices” and just “aren’t working hard enough.” Despite working two and sometimes three jobs, going without, anxiety of the future, and struggling to even think of college investment or retirement, they all exhibit moral failing because they aren’t wealthier. Some believe they shouldn’t have had children, (How long they should wait, who knows? Until they are too old?), should have saved everything they made and lived in destitution until they were ready for a family, or worked all of their waking hours.

Liberals understand that productivity has gone up, but wages in general have remained stagnant for decades for the majority of workers. It isn’t personal failing, it’s a macroeconomic phenomenon that affects everyone. People are working hard, damned hard. It’s just not enough. Republicans see the world only through a culture of cruelty toward the least well off, judging hardship to be always and in all cases a moral failing where their suffering is deserved and just punishment for their unwillingness to work hard. This worldview is enraging for those who work their lives away but cannot get ahead. Republicans are generally cruel in this sense, and Democrats empathetic. Understanding of the hardships the citizens face, and the shortcomings of the economy as a whole for most people. Republicans want to structure a world more geared toward making the rich richer. Democrats toward more broadly shared prosperity for all.

Evolution vs Science in the schools.

As always, blinded by ideology, less than half of Republicans accept reality (evolution) in favor of fairy tales. This anti-intellectual denial of science in favor of fairy tales and stories would be horrifying enough if they kept it to themselves. But it’s not enough for them to keep their ignorance to themselves. If they don’t understand Evolution, it’s important no one else does either. As a result, Republicans, not Democrats sponser astonishingly stupid, draconian bills that to have fairy tales masquarading as science called “intellegent design” taught as science in school, or even worse, bills that require parents be “alerted” when their children will be taught Evolution (Biological Science) so that they can take them out for approved absenses. A further propogation of ignorance, anti intellectualism, and science that only hinders progress and education.

The point … is that Republicans are being driven to identify in all ways with their tribe – and the tribal belief system is dominated by anti-science fundamentalists. For some time now it has been impossible to be a good Republicans while believing in the reality of climate change; now it’s impossible to be a good Republican while believing in evolution. – Paul Krugman

Either from profound ignorance, or an unwillingness to move past tribal thinking, Republican voters have decided, for no reason, not to believe in modern biology.

Consumer Protection

Market Failure

Business Cycle, Recessions, and Stimulus.

Acceptance and Racism.

Prison Population and real “freedom.”

Hypocrisy, exultation of only the rich and denigration of the poor.

A business taking a million dollar handout is smart. A single mother taking free baby formula is destroying America.

Republican Mentality: If you’re rich and you pay not taxes, you’re a genius. If you’re poor and you pay no taxes, you’re a moocher.